He Remembers
by Melody of Words
Summary: Fluff! Set after they are rescued. "Even as she has forgotten him, he remembers." A MelissaxJackson oneshot. Melissa has amnesia. Will she leave a devastated Jackson behind to remember? Read and Review


**A/N: Yes, I know I'm in the middle of another story right now (The Twisted Side of Love), but this oneshot just wouldn't get out of my head! I tried to push it away until after I finished TTSoL, but you know how the muse is. It's quite stubborn. Whatever method was used to birth this story (by force of the muse, my willingness, etc), I think it turned out alright. In fact, this is my favorite out of the 2 fics I have! MelxJackson, as always. Flashbacks are in italics, but italics aren't always flashbacks!**

He remembers her. He remembers the whole incident clearly.

_The secret smile they shared._

"_You give me security."_

_Her shy smile and blush. _

_All of it was happiness; every sweet second was bliss, made even more significant because they were going home. The time capsule with the videotapes was firmly packed into the ground, and they made their way over to the raft as the tropical storm- Melissa- hovered ominously over the horizon._

_That was when their hope became bittersweet._

_They had survived for 28 days on a deserted island through wind and waves and strife, but the one thing that finally struck them down was so simple, so harmless; something they'd once been happy and relieved to see: a coconut._

_A simple coconut that fate had planned to be chosen for a most auspicious moment- the moment that the strength of the Flight 29 Downers crumbled. A coconut that had been tossed in its tree so roughly by the wind and had become fully grown, ready to fall to the ground. A coconut that had fallen to the ground right when Melissa Wu had stood underneath it, saying her last goodbyes to the island as Cody Jackson watched. A coconut that struck her so hard on the head that she suffered amnesia and didn't remember anything but her name and family._

A coconut, he thinks bitterly. That was what had finally destroyed her. Melissa- the glue of them all, the voice of reason when no one else was, the heroine behind the scenes… and of course, his security. But there is more to it, now. She isn't just his security; she is his strength. She isn't simply his strength, but she is his inspiration both in life and behind every song. She is not just his inspiration, but also his motivation- the force interwoven with every moment of his life to keep him going. She is not simply his motivation, but his life, his heart… his love. Even now, he thinks sadly, even as she lies motionless on the hospital bed in a sweet slumber, even as she has forgotten him, he remembers. Even though the girl before him doesn't know that he loves her, he loves her still. He won't- he refuses- to forget.

He's there at her first piano recital since the rescue a year ago. It's raining, pouring cold drops of water. How appropriate, he thinks, the rain with his despair. After a year of being in half of her classes, she has only given him a shy, uncertain smile and once, a quiet "Hello."

He sits in the back of the room, his eyes fixed on her. His heart gives a small leap when she scans the audience before the last song, and she meets his eyes. She smiles at him, surprised to see him, but not mistrusting. Then, he watches in fascination as her eyebrows furrow in concentration and her fingers delicately stroke the keys before playing. She plays the piano beautifully, and he wishes he had known she loved music as much as he did, even if it is classical. He knows for a fact though- since he was with her family when they tried to jog her family- that she loves alternative and rock; a bundle of musical contradictions- his bundle of musical contradictions.

Somewhere during the song, she tips her head back and closes her eyes, smiling. Everywhere he looks, he sees people smiling at the sight of the Asian girl. Unexpectedly, a slight frown flits across her face, and he leans forward in concern. She straightens, opens her eyes, and turns her head to stare right into his eyes. His heart beats faster and faster as she holds the gaze, a strange emotion playing over her face, but it's over in 2 seconds. The moment was almost surreal, and he'd almost thought she had remembered. He shakes his head at his own stupidity. People like him weren't meant to have happy endings, anyway.

He squeezes into the room packed with admirers and reporters after the recital. The recital wouldn't have been important if it hadn't featured Melissa Wu, the 29 Down crash survivor with amnesia. Apparently, her music had been one of the first memories to surface, after Nathan. He knows he shouldn't be here watching her, but he can't get enough.

She stands awkwardly on the small raised platform. She had just played piano and then been ushered here to the small room behind the stage. All she really wants to do is find that boy- his name is on the tip of her tongue- and ask him why he affects her all of a sudden, why he made her heart pound when she caught his gaze. She wants to know why she's suddenly remembered him walking on a bridge above her. She wants to know why she feels like he holds the answer to all of her remaining missing memories. She wants to know why she doesn't mind when he is wherever she is. Instead, she stands here next to her mother and temporary caretaker, smiling awkwardly and waving.

She looks over the reporters and people who claim to know her (but she doesn't really remember anyone). Suddenly, she catches a flash of blue- blue eyes- and she nearly staggers as images fill her mind. Images of _him_. I liked him, she remembers. A lot. Then, she remembers how she feels around him now. I love him, she thinks.

Her mind is reeling still from the memories flooding every corner of her mind, but her heart has only one course of action. _Go!_ her heart screams. Her eyes scan the people again, and she finds him turning away, about to leave. _No_, her mind whimpers pathetically, still under the weight of her memories. _Go!_ her heart screams. And she obeys.

In one fluid movement, she steps down from the platform and squeezes through the audience. In some corner of her mind, she hears voices calling to her.

"Melissa! Melissa Wu! How do you feel- Mel? Mel? Where are you going?"

She ignores them all. She ignores the hands clutching at her arms, the reporters with their questions; she has eyes only for him.

She wriggles through, faster and faster, urging herself onward, until finally, finally, finally-

He turns as he feels someone grasp his arm and looks down into brown eyes. Eyes that he would know anywhere.

"Jackson," she says.

He smiles.

He pulls her outside with him, oblivious to the stares. He pulls her out into the rain and holds her to him close. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to let go. Softly, he kisses her there. She responds slowly but surely, letting him gain more access, trusting him implicitly. Her eyes flutter shut.

He pulls her to him more so that there is barely any space between them. His arms wrap tightly around her waist. She surprises him by running her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling herself even closer. He stops kissing her in surprise and opens his eyes. She does the same when she realizes that he's stopped.

"Not close enough," she murmurs as an answer to his surprised expression, and she kisses him again. He smiles against her lips before resuming.

They are so close now, so tightly meshed together like two puzzle pieces that match, two opposites that attract. It's hard to believe that they were ever apart.

Finally, they notice the rain and look up into the sky. How appropriate, he thinks, the gentle rain during their first kiss.

He turns back to her and rests his forehead against hers. She breathes his scent in deeply and doesn't look away from him. She leans her head against his shoulder and sighs with contentment. Softly, he presses his lips to her hair and inhales.

"Melissa," he murmurs, stroking her hair.

"Jackson," she whispers against his neck.

He doesn't say the words that he feels pounding throughout his entire body. _I love you I love you I love you Ilove you Ilove you Iloveyou Iloveyou Iloveyou IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou… _

He figures she knows anyway.

And she does. He remembers.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review- this is my first one-shot. Reviews make my [virtual] world go round!**

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